This invention relates to a novel class of polish compositions, preferably essentially of natural origin and free of synthetic or natural-origin volatile solvents, as well as of silicones, polymers, and the like. It further relates to a method of utilizing them which entails swabbing, rolling, brushing or spraying them on to a substrate to be polished, waiting some time, then rubbing, swabbing, or wiping off the excess, and polishing the article with the remainder.
It is well-known that the longevity, beauty, appearance, resistance to marring, water damage, etc. of many objects are enhanced by polishing them. Such objects commonly polished for these reasons include furniture, cars, doors, floors, shoes and other leather articles, etc. A great deal of scientific development has occurred in the polish field, with many patents being issued, trade secrets kept, etc. The current trend in this regard is to include silicones and/or other polymers, and other high-technology additives. As a result, novel polishes have some outstanding properties and abilities in regards to enhancing the longevity, beauty, appearance, resistance to marring, water damage, etc.
Unfortunately, virtually all of these polishes involve synthetic or naturally-derived volatile solvents, polymers and other additives. Petroleum-derived solvents in particular have some singular disadvantages with regards to toxicity to humans and the environment. Therefore, from a toxicity standpoint, if a polish could be obtained that does not entail use of these synthetic solvents, polymers, etc., it would be an improvement over the current situation.
Likewise, many solvents, petroleum-derived or of natural origin have a marked deletorious effect on human skin. Even many naturally-derived solvents such as turpentine, a classic ingredient in many furniture polishes, has some disadvantages such as objectionable odors. Thus even naturally-derived solvents have disadvantages, and it could be advantageous to formulated polishes without them.
Also, many polish formulations contain tacky viscous liquid polymers, which remain on the surface of the polished article. Due to the tacky, viscous liquid nature of these materials, the resulting films will tend to be adherent to airborn particulates, causing them to stick to the polished article, actually rendering it dirty faster than if it had not been polished at all, but merely wiped free of dirt. This is a xe2x80x9cre-soilingxe2x80x9d problem.
Furthermore, a polish that can act simultaneously as a cleaner is desirable, and is sometimes the object of the efforts of polish developers. A dilute acetic acid source, frequently vinegar is a common additive to try to make a cleaner which also simultaneously polishes.
Some attempts have been made in the direction of utilizing natural-origin materials in polishes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,413 to Lee discloses a polish comprising, among other things, turpentine oil as a solvent. Unfortunately, this invention also includes petroleum jelly, and silicone polymers, making it a less-than-desirable polish from toxicity and re-soiling points of view.
Another attempt along these lines is U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,611 to Raney, which utilizes vinegar, turpentine and an oleoresin such as boiled linseed oil, in roughly equal proportions. This invention does not utilize petroleum-based ingredients, and comprises natural-origin materials, but suffers from several drawbacks. Turpentine has a strong odor that many find objectionable. Likewise, it is not a persistent material, so provides little of value to the formulation from the point of view of the longevity of the resultant shine, which is stated to last only about three months. Finally, the emulsion is unstable, needing to be shaken frequently during use. A formulation like Raney, but utilizing a wax, and which is more stable, would be preferrable.
A similar attempt is U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,217 to Goracke. Goracke discloses a polish which contains calcium oxide, sodium bicarbonate, boric acid, tung oil isoamyl acetate and turpentine. This composition suffers from potential flammability problems due to the presence of isoamyl acetate and turpentine, and has the objectionable odor problem of Raney, as well as the presence of ingredients that do not directly contribute to polishing, resulting in added complexity. Although Goracke does not teach so, it is likely that without any kind of suspending aids, the insoluble salts will rapidly settle to the bottom, leading to a formulation which also needs shaking to be optimally efficacious. Likewise, lacking a wax component, Goracke will probably also result in poor longevity of the shine on the polished article. Finally, it is known in the art that including an acetic acid source such as vinegar to a polish formulation will improve it""s cleaning performance. Goracke lacks this, and so an improved cleaning ability is desirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,113 to Grant discloses a polish composition which includes wax, but also includes turpentine and white spirit, and a complex alum salt exemplified by potassium aluminum sulfate or alum, optionally and preferably with other ingredients such as a vegetable or mineral oil, acetic acid, resin and bluestone as an abrasive. Although Grant does contain wax, it also contains the objectionable solvents turpentine and white spirit, with the drawbacks mentioned above. Also, like Goracke, Grant includes an insoluble salt without a dispersing aid, resulting in the likely need to shake prior to use, and presumably during use, depending on how thin the resulting material is. Therefore, a simpler, solvent-free formulation which is stable, and does not need to be shaken prior to or during use, but which nonetheless involves primarily or exclusively natural-origin materials is preferable.
It is the object of this invention to solve the above problems utilizing a simple formulation without utilizing solvents, said formulation in one embodiment comprising a wax and an oil. It is another object of this invention to provide a polish that can simultaneously clean as well as polish. This kind of polish comprises in addition to the wax and oil, a water and/or an acetic acid source, preferably vinegar. It is surprisingly found that effective, stable polishes can be made with the above ingredients alone. It is to be understood that the above minimal polishes can optionally be formulated with added special-purpose ingredients. These and other objects will become apparent due to the examples and specifications below.